


Autumn Appetite

by katopiyo



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fantasy elements, I know Quatre’s a desert kid but I made him live in the forest because I can, Is Quatre human? We just don’t know, M/M, Mentions of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27172213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katopiyo/pseuds/katopiyo
Summary: Sometimes crushes make people do stupid things.
Relationships: Duo Maxwell/Quatre Raberba Winner
Kudos: 4





	Autumn Appetite

**Author's Note:**

> If Duo got hurt on purpose just to see Quatre. He doesn’t get hurt because he did. No he didn’t. ♡  
>   
> Something I slapped together on and off over about seven hours.  
> Happy Evens Day.

Duo tumbles through a few bushes, getting some big scratches on his arms and face and a few snags in the fabric of his clothing, but he doesn't mind, considering where he's headed. He doesn't bother to pick out the dried leaves and small twigs that get tangled into his braid, and he doesn't wipe off the dirt on his face, either. As long as he doesn't get too majorly hurt, he'll be fine. He just needs to be scraped up enough to justify asking for a little more attention.

By now, he's already memorized the landmarks and the best path that leads to the tiny, rustic cottage, deep in the forest, towards the foot of the mountains. As he continues onward, he spots some marks he made on the trees during his last trip, as well as some familiar clusters of branches and stones, placed by the very person to whom he plans to pay a visit: Quatre.

It was the morning after a thunderstorm when Quatre first found the braided brunet collapsed near his solitary settlement, prone in the mud, beaten and battered. At first, having been called a death magnet and a harbinger by the people of his town, Duo tried to get away from Quatre once he woke, warning the blond about his curse. What he got in return was a bit of doubt, a kind smile, and an invitation inside.

It was the nicest he'd been treated in literal ages.

So, he feels a little bad about asking for more, but as long as Quatre doesn't turn him away, he isn't about to deny himself a chance to spend time with the one person who actually seems to care about him.

Soon enough, Duo spots a column of smoke over the trees. He's almost there - he decides to run for it, leaves crunching under his feet. But he throws in another intentional slip on the hill down. He can hardly keep himself from sprinting up the path through the garden, to the porch. He moves as quietly as he can, catching his breath before he knocks on the door. In a lapse of judgement, he leans on the thick wood, falling forward as the door opens. He yelps as Quatre catches him, unfortunately getting smudges of dirt and slight traces of blood on his light purple shirt and plain apron.

"Duo…" Quatre almost sighs, lifting the brunet back up, letting him inside. "You got lost _again_?"

"Sorry," Duo laughs, rubbing his nose. "Can't help it, I guess!"

"Take off your shoes," the blond orders, closing the door. "Everything, actually - go get cleaned up. You can borrow some clothes from my dresser while I wash yours."

Duo nods, shucking the black jacket he had worn over his sweater. "Were you cooking?"

"Stew, yes - and I have enough for two."

"You knew I was coming?" Duo jokes.

"Of course I did," Quatre says cryptically, earning himself an almost terrified look from the brunet. Quatre takes Duo's clothes and lightly pushes the man towards the bathroom. "I'm kidding. I was planning to keep it for leftovers, but I can share," he smiles.

***

Once Duo's dried off and as clean as he can get without agitating his injuries, he opens the door to the bathroom just before Quatre can knock. He almost gets a knock to the face, but thankfully, the blond catches himself before it can happen.

Duo also lifts his right hand first, as per routine before Quatre even gives the order. Quatre lets out a breathy, amused chuckle before he raises the back of Duo's hand just short of his lips, a warm glow surrounding the extremity as Duo's wounds close, leaving not so much as a single scar. Duo grins through every iteration of the procedure until Quatre is finished. He closes his eyes when Quatre gently cups his face, running his thumbs over the affected areas.

Duo opens his eyes again after Quatre's hands linger a little longer than usual. He blinks as aquamarine eyes stare into his own.

"...What?"

"You planned this, didn't you?" Quatre half laughs, half sighs before letting go and starting on his way back to the kitchen. Duo follows. "What makes you say that?"

"The first few times, you didn't look so excited when I healed you," Quatre notes, opening up the pot on the stove. "But the last few times, you've been extremely happy - giddy, even," he chuckles. "You used to always be reluctant and embarrassed when I had to hold your face, but now it seems like you rather enjoy it."

"I don't really _feel_ any different," Duo plays dumb as Quatre prepares their plates. Duo automatically moves to set the table, already more than familiar with the way Quatre organizes his kitchen's cabinets and drawers. "I'm just used to it now, I guess."

"You're not nearly as subtle as you like to think you are," Quatre says, amusement apparent in his tone. "Did you forget?"

"...Forget what?"

Duo turns to look at him over his shoulder. His heart flutters at the smile on Quatre's face, and he quickly turns away.

"I can feel your emotions," Quatre reminds him. "Even though I try my best not to. It feels like I'm prying."

"And now you're flustered," he laughs, setting dinner on the table. Duo closes the silverware drawer and grabs some napkins, setting them beside the food, sitting down only after Quatre does first.

"It's that obvious, huh?" Duo sighs, honestly embarrassed.

"You were so excited that I could feel you coming before you even knocked on the door," Quatre admits before he has a spoonful of stew. Duo burns bright red as he digs into his own portion.

"...Sorry."

Quatre almost doesn't hear his apology.

"Don't be." He meets Duo's eyes again to make sure that Duo sees he's being sincere. "I enjoy the company."

"But you don't have to get hurt just to come and see me," Quatre sighs. "I've told you before that you can visit any time. It's not like I'm ever busy out here."

"I just feel bad coming out here and imposing on you without a reason."  
"I think just wanting to spend time together is reason enough."

"I wish you'd come around more often, actually," Quatre quietly adds.

"You do?"

Quatre nods. "I worry about you while you're back in town."

"With your supposed reputation, I sometimes wonder if you'll end up in as severe of a situation as I did."  
"As in…?"

"I got accused of being a witch," Quatre says plainly, taking another bite. Duo nearly chokes.

"A _witch_!?" he rasps. "They're superstitious in town, but it's not _that_ bad."

"Maybe it's a cultural difference," Quatre muses. "My so-called hometown is far in the opposite direction of yours, after all."

"I guess...? But holy shit, Quat - Is that what drove you all the way out here!?"  
"It was more how they decided to burn my house down while I was asleep."  
"Were you _inside_ then!?"  
"I was."  
"And you _lived…_?"  
"I did."

Quatre realizes he might've said a little too much when he looks up again and sees the poleaxed expression on Duo's face.

Upon a few more seconds of thinking, Quatre realizes that, actually, he might've said too _little_.

"...Did I not tell you?" he asks timidly.

"Tell me what…?" Duo raises a brow.

A brief beat as Quatre tries to find the right set of words.

"I can't die."

Quatre's confession is met with flabbergasted silence. Duo nearly drops his spoon back into his stew.

"At least I don't think I can. I don't know for sure if I'm immortal or anything like that," Quatre clarifies. "I'm pretty sure I'm only about as old as you are. It's just that so far, as many times as people have tried to kill me, it just… doesn't happen…?"

"How else have people tried?"  
"I've been stabbed, impaled, and shot several times. There were also a few attempted poisonings."

More disturbed silence.

"The one man who tried to slit my throat might've missed, but regardless, I didn't die."

Duo opens his mouth to speak, but doesn't find the words, nodding blindly and returning to his meal instead.

"I guess that's good for me, then," Duo eventually laughs. "Good old harbinger of doom, Duo Maxwell - cursed from birth," he jokes, self-deprecatingly.

"There's no curse on you," Quatre cuts in. "From the day we first met, I've never felt a curse on you. Otherwise I would've dispelled it."

"...Huh."

Duo lets out a stiff laugh. "Today is just full of surprises, huh?"

"I promise I didn't mean to hide anything from you," Quatre says apologetically. "It seems I just forgot to mention some things."

"It makes sense, I think," Duo says, cleaning up the rest of his plate. "Why you weren't fazed by anything I said when we met, I mean."

"And I don't mind. I'm kind of used to you being magical anyways," he laughs. "You're still you. I just got to learn something new today."

Quatre averts his gaze, raising his fingers to his lips, Duo's honest smile and the emotions he feels radiating off of him making the blond's skin tingly and warm despite his best efforts not to read his guest. Duo tilts his head, a little confused as Quatre's cheeks dust pink just before he rises from his seat, pushing himself up, hands braced on the small table.

"I'll take care of the dishes," he says, forcing himself into an even tone. "Would you relight the fireplace?"

"Sure."  
"Warm up. I'll make us tea when I'm done."

Quatre breathes a sigh of relief once Duo is out of earshot, resting a hand on his chest before reaching out and turning on the faucet. He feels a little frustrated considering how calm he'd been at the start of Duo's visit, but all of the negative feelings wash away with the soapy water, flowing down the drain. But that doesn't stop Quatre from getting startled when he hears a cabinet close, turning around to find Duo behind him, bringing out the kettle and two mugs.

"What kind of tea are you feeling?" he asks, filling the kettle and placing it on the stove.

"...I said I would make it."  
"Let me be nice!"

Quatre sighs, closing his eyes and turning away. "Surprise me."

Behind him, another cabinet opens and closes as Duo picks the tea, but the fruity aroma immediately gives away his choice. Quietly, Quatre laughs to himself; he decides to linger in the kitchen and wait for Duo to finish.

"Your tea, sir," Duo says in a silly voice, holding out the warm mug for the other man to take. "Thank you, sir," Quatre giggles, loosely imitating the other man's tone, taking his tea as they step into the living room and settle by the coffee table, a little bit away from the hearth.

"I just realized," Quatre stifles another laugh, watching the flames. "How ironic this is when I just told you I was nearly burnt alive."

After a moment, he turns and asks: "...Did I use 'ironic' correctly?" 

"Beats me," Duo chuckles, "but I _did_ do my best not to set anything on fire other than the logs."

"Excellent work, I'd say," Quatre smiles, taking a sip from his mug.

"Do you want the blanket?" Duo asks, already reaching over to grab it from one of the plush chairs.

"Yes, please," Quatre replies, taking Duo's mug and setting it down before the other man can spill anything. Quatre sits patiently as Duo drapes the fabric around him.

All of it.

"Come here," Quatre frowns, moving and lifting the fabric so that there's room for one more. "I'm not letting you sit alone in the cold."

"You're sure?"  
"Sit."

Duo scoots closer, realizing it would be obtuse of him to ask any further questions. He gulps a little when Quatre casually leans over behind him, tucking the blanket over his shoulder before giving back his mug.

Duo updates Quatre on the gossip in his town - about the few men he's become acquainted with and about how they've helped him out, along with his adventures in eavesdropping around the market and other parts of town. Of particular interest lately was Princess Relena, who at her age still had yet to enter a proper courtship with any of her many suitors. She'd apparently passed through town one night, and Duo'd managed to catch a glimpse of her - or he thought so, at least. She'd been in disguise, but it wasn't worth much considering there was always a particularly identifiable and armed _someone_ by her side.

For a while after all the gossip gets sifted through, Duo and Quatre stay comfortably quiet, the two of them resting, listening to the crackling of the firewood in the flames. To them, it comes naturally; it was a pleasant surprise when Duo came to realize the fact one night, however long ago it had been. He thinks to himself, fondly remembering those earlier days before getting politely interrupted by the man next to him calling his name.

"Yeah?"

"You'll stay the night, won't you?" Quatre asks, still keeping as respectable of a distance as he can between them. He takes the last remaining sip of his tea before he speaks again. "There's not much longer until it's pitch dark out."

"Are you sure it's not too much trouble?"  
"It never will be."  
"Then, if it's okay with you…"

Duo trails off, startled when he feels his hand brush against Quatre's. His heart is already in bad shape, and it only pounds harder in his chest when he remembers that Quatre can probably sense what's going on, even if he doesn't show that he does.

Duo realizes it's likely too late for him to smoothly continue his last incomplete sentence, so he sits quietly, unmoving.

"Please stay," Quatre whispers softly. He only dares to put his hand on top of Duo's when he inevitably feels a rush of butterflies from his direction. Slowly, Duo threads their fingers together, leaning closer towards the blond. "Asking me like that, you really leave me no choice," he laughs, a little nervous.

"As if you don't do the same thing every time you show up bleeding on my doorstep," Quatre gently elbows him before leaning on his shoulder. He's extremely pleased when he feels Duo lean into the touch, and it's only made better by the softness of the blanket and the warmth from the fireplace.

"Thank you for the very nice tea," he says.

"Glad I managed to prepare it right," Duo chuckles. "Took me long enough to get it down, didn't it?"

"Accept the compliment," Quatre pouts.

"Okay," Duo sighs. "Thank you, Q."

"Of course."

Duo turns to look at Quatre. Hesitantly, he reaches up with his free hand and ruffles the blond's hair, earning himself a few jokingly miffed giggles. "You stop that," Quatre lightly swats at Duo's hand.

"Should we get to bed?" Duo asks. He only realizes how close together his and Quatre's faces are when Quatre suddenly pulls back, slightly flushed. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Quatre smiles shyly. "Let's get to bed."


End file.
